Boston Celtics: 3 players that could be set for big breakout seasons

Boston Celtics breakout candidate No. 2: Aaron Nesmith

Aaron Nesmith just so happens to find himself competing with Langford for minutes off the bench right now. Based on how Langford was given starting opportunities in three games and Nesmith in just one, it seems like Langford has the inside track for the time being.

Of course, that doesn’t mean things can’t change as the season goes on. Langford has been quite injury prone throughout his career as we all know, which would open the door right up for Nesmith. There’s a good chance that Nesmith may just outplay Langford and end up passing him in the rotation.

One of my bold predictions for the season was that Nesmith would end up in the starting lineup by the time 2022 rolls around. Even with Langford seemingly being a step ahead of him, I still stand by that. Nesmith’s playstyle makes him a perfect fit to run alongside Tatum and Brown, and if he continues to play well off the bench, he should absolutely be given an opportunity to run with the starters.

Of course, if Langford can hit threes as consistently as Nesmith has, the gap is basically reduced to nothing. But considering Nesmith has a full offseason under his belt after basically getting thrown into the fire last season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him excel after his inconsistent rookie season.

Langford and Nesmith are in pretty similar spots, but given how Nesmith has shown us much more potential in regular season games, I think he has better breakout potential than his fellow 14th overall pick. Nesmith is an extremely energetic defender who possesses the ability to become an absolutely lights out shooter. If he locks in from behind the arc, watch out, because this team could become quite dangerous very quickly.